Decadent Pupus for Gigantic Appetites

Eating pupus at Sam Choy’s Breakfast Lunch & Crab is not for the faint of heart, or stomach. The portions are large enough to require capitalization. Therefore, PUPUS at Sam Choy’s BLC are a tasty and belly-busting combination of fresh, local ingredients and ample value. That makes sense. Dining on decorative and dainty pupus while being surrounded by warm and rustic hues as soft indistinguishable music fills the audio void just doesn’t make sense when sitting among the towering vessels of blondes, ales and lagers. These are PUPUS that get up early, put in a full days work and still have time for pau hana good times.

Onolicious Baby Back Ribs ($15.95) are sweet, sticky and make you wonder what kind of baby produces ribs so large. Weighing in at a pound a piece, the platter is stacked high with tender pork bathed in a char sui glaze of hosin, honey, shoyu, brown sugar and five spice.

Another belly-rubbing option is Hukilau Pupu Platter ($25.95). The three-part seafood collaboration offers Fried Poke, Island Coconut Shrimp (which also is offered as a stand alone PUPU item for $12.95) and a pile of Calamari. Served with a wasabi cocktail, and a pineapple sweet and sour sauce, the mound of food makes a great centerpiece. The shrimp are big and sweet, the calamari crispy and the poke retains the butteriness of raw poke with the texture change of fried fish.

If you prefer your poke prepared in a more traditional manner, Shoyu Ahi Poke ($14.95) is worth investigating. Tossed with green onion, shoyu and ogo, each plate is made to order so it arrives at the peak of freshness. Paired with a Big Aloha Blonde ($3.95 for a 10 ounce and $5.75 for 16 ounces), Ehu Ale, or anything that comes from the stainless steel vats, and you’re bound to leave happy.

Being one who is often a bit protective of what’s on my plate, The BLC Crabcakes ($12.95) is a tasty option that also is easy to defend from encroaching forks. Made with blue crab, coated with a crispy covering and served with a basil aioli, the crab is light, creamy and an unquestioned favorite among diners who have been making the Nimitz Highway restaurant a regular stop for 15 years.